Through Alien Lives
by Rosa C. Ross
Summary: Woog, the changeling, does not desire redemption. What could he ask forgiveness for? This is the beginning of something, so please, read and review. Much of the material may change as time goes on.
1. Chapter 1

The following is a collection of memories in written form made by me, Woog, also known as !vrhssgk! the changeling. Same location names and tactics were altered to maintain Hive Security, so please, do not refer to this account for the purpose of making war upon changeling-kind.

The first moments of wakefulness I experienced without Queen Chrysalis were terrifying beyond any nightmare I could conjure up. Lying on my back in enemy territory, eyes shut, trying not to scream as pain filled every corner of my mind once occupied by the hum of my friends and family. Intellectually, I knew that I only broke a wing, but without an expanded mind to crush the feelings, I flailed on the ground, overwhelmed. Stories of outcast changelings going mad from loneliness swam up to the surface of the ocean of pain, and I shut my eyes tighter still, willing my mind to stop. Other, stranger memories came. A single changeling is as good as dead, a single changeling is useless, a single changeling is stupid, lost, crippled…

I do not know how long I lay there, in my own personal Tartarus. When I came to, my wing had repaired itself, and the ground felt cold against my shell. I was still alone, but I was not crazy, at least. I sniffed at the air. Moss, bark, lichen, the scent of only one pony, a pegasus. I breathed a sigh of relief. If this was a forest or a secluded spot in the Canterlot gardens, I could escape. I risked opening my eyes, and was greeted by a narrow hole in the branches above. The bizarre way the trees seemed to flow together betrayed this place as the Everfree Forest. Nowhere else had so much blessed natural chaos.

This is good, I decided. The Everfree Forest is far too dangerous to search at night, much less for a single changeling. But, being a single changeling was itself dangerous. What if I ran across somepony? What if I couldn't find my Queen Chrysalis? What if the Hive died?

If the Hive is dead, then you must create another Hive, I told myself, building a wall against the panic. I repeated the mantra before getting up and again as I followed the scent of the lone pegasus. First things first, I would need food and shelter. Ponyville would do for both, and chances are, the pony would lead me there.

The Everfree Forest, I knew, contained everything the ponies could not tame or control. Queen Chrysalis briefly considered building the Hive's newest home there, before settling on taking over Canterlot. As I trotted along, I realized why. The natural chaos, though far more comforting than the pony-kind's towns, had a hint of menace to it. Vines curled too tightly around tree trunks, grasses choked flowers, and fallen logs blocked passage. Patches of ground smelled like blood and fear, and when the wind picked up, leaves rustled, whispering of a time when the whole world was a wild place. I walked among trees as tall as any Hive home, and several times, had to hide in the bushes to avoid something that smelled like a cross between bark and wet fur. This was no place for a changeling.

The first glimpse of the moon among the trees made me pause. What would I do when I found the pegasus? I doubted any of my previous disguises in Canterlot would work. Pretending to be a royal guard in the Everfree Forest would raise suspicion. The librarian pony would also cause trouble. Trying to be the rainbow pegasus would risk exposure if it turned out that this pegasus knew her. I decided to improvise. After half-an-hour of trying out different shapes I settled on the image of a brown unicorn pony with blue eyes and a purple crescent cutie-mark. The disguise was nowhere near being as complex and seamless as an existing pony's form, but I hoped no one would notice as I walked out of the forest.

The moon shone brightly across the soft grass, and in spite of my hatred for Luna, I had to admit, she was an artist. If only she could include some green and light blue in her lighting, she would be as talented as my Queen Chrysalis. The moon itself needed some more craters and a couple elegant spires, to make it look perfect, but then, I suppose a thousand years on its surface was perhaps too little time to complete any major construction. I smiled, letting my eyes see my Queen's face in the moon. Perhaps, if I could capture the image well enough, I could inspire her, and Queen Chrysalis would reward me. Just then, I walked right into a fence, tripped, and fell on my face.

"Are you alright? I'm sorry! I should have made the chicken coop shine a little in the dark." Whoever said that sounded familiar. Too familiar.

"I'm alright. And you should." I used a royal guard's voice as I quickly rose and jumped over the fence. By the time Fluttershy, one of the wielders of the elements of Harmony flew over to me, I stood on my own four hooves and looked as displeased as possible. What little I knew from my fellow changelings told me she would probably crumble before a stronger personality."Somepony could have died, you know."

"I'm sorry, thank you, sorry…eeep" I smiled watching her backpedal away from me. Pleasant as it was to have a small bit of revenge on one of Queen Chrysalis' worst enemies it would not do for her to be frightened. Terrified, she would be useless.

"Please, don't be scared." I suppressed a snort. "I'm just a traveler from Canterlot, passing through. Could you point me to the nearest inn?"

"Um, sure…it's only a little ways…that way." She pointed with her hoof.

"Thank you, miss….?"

"…fluttershy…" if she were speaking softly before, this was but a whisper on the wind.

"Fluttershy." I mentally cursed. Ponies did not have my hearing.

She seemed a bit surprised, and I was glad when she dove back into her dwelling instead of questioning me. I smirked, but left as quickly as possible in the direction she indicated. I could not stay at an inn, of course, because of the ponies' obsession with gold coins, but I could at least begin my assimilation into pony-kind. A stroll through Ponyville would show me where I can find information about the Hive, allow me to feed on the positive feelings of the place, and hopefully solidify my disguise.


	2. Chapter 2

Writer's Note: Read and Review. MLP is owned by someone else, but this particular interpretation of changeling psychology and behavior is, hopefully, unique. Those reviewers who can identify the most alien parts of how Woog handles ponies will receive a cameo later in the story.

Chapter 2-First Time in Ponyville

Walking into Ponyville was easy. No guards stopped me, and every pony I met seemed too tired to notice me.

Ponyville's colors, on the other hoof, hurt my eyes. These ponies were insane if they imagined any creature would ignore so much color and light. Such carelessness reminded me of the underground parts of the Hive's territory. Only there could a changeling pretend they had no enemies.

The pony residents obeyed a rather strict schedule. Very few stores were open at night, I discovered, and while quite a few homes radiated positive feelings, they were subdued. Walking by, I risked looking into a nearby window. I saw a mated pair snuggled together on a sofa, one sitting rather oddly, as if she were bipedal. I noted her appearance. Perhaps, her form could prove useful later, if I decided their bond was worth exploiting for energy. Strange ponies getting stranger rarely made anyone suspicious, and if I failed, the falling out could be blamed on the pony's eccentricity.

I took only a bit of their energy, and continued on. A multicolored monstrosity jutted up at a street corner. The building resembled a grub's drawing of a mineral deposit, too regular to be natural, but far too ugly to be anything built by changeling magic. It was a heap. White, brown, pink, purple, and their various shades made the place look even worse. Why would they build something like this? The place stank of burnt seeds and spoiled nectar, as well as a few other, less identifiable smells. Most surprising of all, a faint aura of happiness surrounded the place, as if the ponies valued this…Sugarcube Corner.

Apart from the nauseating, yet happy place, my eyes and nose were drawn towards an enormous tree-building as I walked through the town.

"I am new in town. What's that place?" I asked some of the ponies walking by, pointing towards the plant structure. Most made impatient noises and continued on, but one unicorn trudging in the other direction jumped up and rushed over to me.

The unicorn's blue mane and white fur were practically standing on end. I decided not to copy her, ever. I doubted I could muster so much enthusiasm for anything short of expanding the Hive's territories.

"That's the library, and Twilight Sparkle's home." The pony eagerly explained. "You must be from really far away if you don't know! She saved the Princesses, Equestria, and everypony else at least three times!"

"Fascinating. Does she accept guests?" this could be my chance to find out about what happened to the Hive. Twilight did help Cadence defeat Chrysalis in some way, after all.

"Um. I dunno… are you a scholar?" she looked at my cutie mark. "You look like a magician! What's your name? Did you write any books?"

"I doubt you'd know me. I'm… Woorali Mirrortelling Hooves. And yes, I am a magician looking for a library in town. How did you know?" Pony names were complicated things, but it was on Queen Chrysalis' approved list of names to use with improvised disguises, and I was reasonably sure no pony had ever heard of curare. Besides, it sounded like my real name, or at least as close as a pony mouth could come to pronouncing it.

"Can I call you Woog for short? I always wanted to meet someone named Woog!" she practically jumped around me as I walked towards the house-tree.

"I suppose." This nickname would be even easier to remember, even if it sounded like a grub's demand for attention.

"Twilight Sparkle would love to meet you, I'm sure! She's got a ton of friends, and, and! Wait! I was going in the opposite direction! Sorry, Woog. Good night! Here's my card." Just like that, she was gone, and I had a piece of paper with "Serenity Siren Blue, singer" stamped in large cursive letters. Why a pony would need a card, much less hand them out to total strangers, I had no idea. Was she an outcast, hoping to rejoin with a group of ponies? And what kind of title was singer?

I shook my head, and deposited the card into the bushes next to Twilight's house. If this was some pony outcast, her instabilities may cause trouble for me if others discover I associate with her. Then, I walked around the tree. Some of the branches looked tough enough to handle my weight. I had a base of operations at last. I looked around, making sure that no ponies were looking my way, and shifted back to my original form, flying up among the protective leaves of the oak. Settling down on a branch, I curled up. It was time to plan my next move.

I had a temporary base of operations, a disguise, and a basic understanding of Ponyville. I was literally on top of Twilight Sparkle, the one who freed Princess Cadence. Tomorrow, I would find a way to approach her, and find out what she knows about the Hive. Perhaps, I could convince her I am interested in a book about the history of the changelings? Then, I would force her to tell me about Queen Chrysalis.

Making sure no windows looked out upon my shelter, I shifted back into Woorali, and gave my disguise a subtle make-over. The hair follicles and skin changed so as to fit with the colors I projected seamlessly, especially around the cutie mark. If every pony I met looked at it to try and determine what Woorali does for a living, I needed it to look more natural. After a few seconds of discomfort, feeling my skin literally shift around my bones, I examined the purple crescent decorating my flank. Not for the first time, I thanked whatever force gave ponies their senses. None of them would notice I copied Fluttershy's skin and hair follicles to complete my disguise.

As I closed my eyes, I wondered what a pony would do if they were brought to the Hive's territories, and did not end up as food within moments. Perhaps, they would concentrate as much as me on escape or rebuilding? Or, would their emotions eat them alive, like the pain of my awakening almost did to me? I was lucky, I realized. Even if a pony could survive being without others of their kind, they would be caught within seconds. The two ponies I talked with so far did not stay around long enough to find any holes in my disguise, and Ponyville had neither walls nor guards. They did not even have anti-disguise magic…


	3. Chapter 3

Be nice to the foolish writer. I don't own My Little Pony, and any reviews I get, I'll be thankful for. Discovering Woog's weird, strange behaviors and ideas gets you an OC in the story...

Chapter 3  
I dreamt all my limbs were broken. And, worse than that, Celestia herself stood over me, charging her horn. Waking up, I decided my experiences made me more imaginative when it came to painful, terrifying experiences.  
I looked around, checking my branch for any damage my hooves or body would do that a pony could track. It was still dark, but a thin lair of shell dust shone in the morning light. I brushed it off, and climbed off the tree. Once on the ground, I checked over my disguise.  
I was Woorali, otherwise known as Woog, a young unicorn pony. I came from Canterlot. This would be easy. My favorite food would be fresh carrots, my favorite activity reading, and my favorite animal would be a praying mantis. I considered coming up with more, but decided against it. I was a visitor to the library, not a permanent guest, after all.  
Then, I trotted over to Sugarcube Corner, absorbing some of the energy the place radiated. As I stood there, pretending to be lost, a pony with a sand clock for a cutie mark ran over to me.  
"Pretending to be lost? You are not lost, though! Saw you here last night, yes, that's it! You like this place? Looks odd, I know. Some advice for somepony, or really anything, alien to Ponyville. Do NOT comment on the architecture." I blinked. Did he just suggest I was anything but a pony? I mentally ran through every aspect of my form. Nothing stood out as a mistake.  
"Um…who are you?" I finally said. He could not have detected me so soon. I forced myself to relax, even as I calculated how fast I could jump forward and bite down on his neck. Maybe, I could hide the body up in the oak.  
"I'm Eon Smith. Not-related-to-Granny-Smith Smith. Also the Doctor. I pop up sometimes. You see a large black cloud of smoke coming through?" if possible, he spoke faster than before.  
"No." I shook my head. He is mad, and looks at me like he expects something more than just a one-word reply.  
"What day is it?"  
"Um. I'm not sure."  
"Oh, well. Dates are important, you know. Time moves like this, and the wrong date is actually really quite far away!" He explained, waving his front hooves in front of me before nearly falling on his face.  
"Far away? You travel time?" I asked, blinking. The Hive's archives mentioned changeling scouts encountering a time traveler or two in the past, but each of them had been violent.  
"Yes. Celestia gave me permission."  
"Oh. I see…" I tried to imagine what kind of power Princess Celestia must have, if she can order around someone that can re-write history at will, even kill her in her infancy. Then again, the rapidly rising Sun proved her power...  
"Yes. It's very complicated and you can't even imagine what happened. Trust me, I have no idea either. Still, it's fun. You should come sometime. Maybe next year?" he grins, and I realize he must be joking. Maybe, this whole exchange was just more pony craziness.  
"Next year." I agreed.  
For the first time since coming to Ponyville, I had to come up with an excuse to leave the conversation.  
"I'm sorry to cut this short, Eon, but I have an appointment with Twilight Sparkle, and the sun is already coming up. And you mentioned something about a black cloud?" I tried.  
"Yes, thanks for the reminder. I should run. Always the running. You sure you don't want to come with?"  
"I'm sure."  
"Woorali, I can get you back here in time for your meeting with Twilight."  
"I think I already said no. Why cannot you leave me alone, and find yourself a silly little filly to go with you?" I hissed at him, rage overtaking my ability to maintain the Canterlot guard voice.  
"Okay, okay! No need to get all bitey! See you later!" with that, he was gone, running down the street towards a strange blue structure I was sure stood on the other side of town last night.  
I turned around, ignoring a small adventurous voice in my head demanding I go back in time and fix what happened to Queen Chrysalis, even if it meant telling Eon the truth. Then, I realized he knew my name, and sat down, hard. He must know something about my future, something which means that he, an ally, or even a subject of Princess Celestia, can safely ignore. My dream came back, and I shuddered. If I had tear ducts, I would have cried. Instead, I settled for making my face contort into a pony frown.  
"A pony looking sad next to Sugarcube Corner in the morning? Sounds like a job for Pinkie Pie!" I turned around, and looked right into the eyes of a very, very pink pony. My enemy from the invasion. The reason I was alone, the reason I would fail!  
"I do not require any help from you." I hissed again in my true voice. What was the point of hiding, now?  
"Oh. Okay…" she looked sad for a moment. "Are you sure?"  
"Yes! All I want is to go to the library, and find out what happened to the changelings!" I screeched.  
"Why didn't you say so? I'm friends with Twilight! She could tell you all about the changelings, and I'll go and prepare a welcome party!" the pink pony screamed even louder than me, giving me pause. These ponies are crazy, no doubt about it.  
"A welcome party for who?" I asked, dreading the answer.  
"For you, silly! You look like you need a REALLY big party to cheer you up!"  
"What? Why?" not only has she ignored my obvious changeling voice, she ignored my rage and hopelessness. For a moment, I felt truly silly. Eon may be happy because I removed his need to ask permission from Princess Celestia. For all I knew, the earth pony loved Chrysalis as much as I did. I clutched at that thought, and let it carry me out of the sudden storm of emotion. The Hive made me complete. Without it, I am as crazy as these ponies, I thought.  
"You think a lot. That can make you unhappy! Sometimes, you just have to let your brain rest. You don't wanna go crazy!" Pinkie Pie explained, gently pushing me along toward the house tree.  
"Um. Yes. I was acting a little crazy back there. Thank you for your help." Like expressing my emotions using a disguise and nearly giving myself away to one of the Hive's greatest enemies, I finished in my mind. Still, I smiled to her.  
"You're welcome." She smiled back, and I felt happiness. Not just happiness. If Sugarcube Corner radiated positive feelings like a glue vat radiates heat, Pinkie Pie was a fire.  
By the time we arrived at the library, I felt overfull, as well as informed. Pinkie Pie told me several jokes which I had to fake laughing at, explained Sugarcube Corner's purpose in the impossible society the ponies maintained (apparently, it produces food), listened to my disguise's story about being a scholar interested in changelings, and even tried to sing. I stopped her before she could begin, though.  
"I'm a quiet pony, Pinkie. It'd make me happy if you didn't." I explained, making sure to use my Canterlot Guard voice. She ignored the change, and somehow this lame appeal to her emotions worked. I checked that she was not feeding off of me, just in case. I never heard of ponies that could, but then, I met a time traveler today, and seen two females cuddling like lovers last night.  
"Okie dokie lokie. I love to sing, but we can skip that part if you don't. Oh, we're here." If it were not for my absentmindedness, I would have been annoyed at her stating the obvious. As it was, I felt only thankful.  
"We're here already?"  
"Yeah! Time flies when you're having fun!" she giggled. I felt nauseous. Pinkie's happiness was addictive, but I was only one changeling!  
"Spike, Twilight, I have a new friend who wants to see your library!" She bounced up to the door, paused in midair, and knocked on it with both hooves. I blinked. I swore to myself I would never again be surprised by anything in Ponyville.  
"Good morning, Pinkie Pie! Who's your new friend?" the creature that spoke those words made me break my promise. I stared at the baby dragon, a chirp escaping my lips before I could turn it into something harmless and pony-like.  
"This is Woog! He's a Canterlot scholar who wants to know everything about the changelings who attacked Canterlot!"  
"Wow! A Canterlot scholar! Nice to meet you Woog! I'm Twilight Sparkle!" a purple unicorn nearly skewered me with her horn when she materialized with a flash of light. Another flash of light, and a moment of disorientation later I found myself inside the library.  
All libraries are the same. The smell of ink and paper, accompanied by a faint scent of magical discharge permeated everything. Hundreds of books lined the shelves. Weeks of pretending to be a librarian paid off, and I could recognize some of the titles from appearance alone. This Twilight loved complex magics, science, and history.  
"It's nice to meet you, Twilight Sparkle. I am working on my own book about the history of changelings. They are fascinating creatures. " I wondered why they looked at me as if I sprouted another head.  
"Changelings have history?" the dragon creature, Spike, spoke first.  
"Spike!" Twilight levitated the baby dragon up to her, shutting the door with a burst of magical energy.  
"What? Changelings are evil and stupid." I wondered what the dragon would say if I changed into my normal form right now. Time to score points with the ones I will depend on for information.  
"I don't think they are evil, or stupid, Spike. They care about each other, and they nearly took over Canterlot. I want to learn all about them, to avoid any future conflict." Sometimes, the truth is better for proving my trustworthiness, I decided.  
"That's very wise, Woog. Spike, be nice. Maybe someday, changelings will learn from us." She nodded towards me, and lowered Spike to the ground. The dragon crossed his arms, and looked up at me.  
"I don't think so. And what kind of name is Woog, anyway?"  
"It stands for Woorali Mirrortelling Hooves! Isn't that an awesome name?" Pinkie Pie piped up.  
"Yes, Woorali Hooves." I smiled down at the dragon. He learned a lot from ponies, but not enough to ignore his instincts. Suspicion was as natural to dragons as breathing. Perhaps a smile would be enough to reassure him? He glared at me, hissing, but walked up the stairs.  
"Twilight, be careful. There's something wrong with him." Spike whispered, shutting the door. I was tempted to shout that nothing could be more dangerous than a dragon growing into adulthood in a house filled with paper, but the surprised and hurt look on Twilight's face made me pause. Best not to hurt their connection, I thought.  
"He's usually so sweet…I don't know what came over him." she said, sniffing.  
"Don't worry, Twilight! I'll make him some baked bads tomorrow! Sometimes, a friend just needs some time alone, you know! When I was…" she looked over to me, I shook my head. She shut her mouth.  
Looking over at Twilight, I could not help myself. I giggled. She looked how I felt in this crazy town.  
"Did you just get Pinkie to stop singing, Woorali?"


	4. Chapter 4

"So, what did you want to know?" Twilight levitated a small scroll and an owl feather pen before her. After a few tense moments, I managed to convince her I was not a madpony hypnotist, and that Pinkie Pie was not in fact a slave to my powers.

"I want to know what you think the changelings wanted when they attacked Canterlot, and I'd like to know where you think Queen Chrysalis resides now. Any of your theories about changelings might also help." I said.

"Well, first," she marked her scroll with a series of scribbles "I believe the changelings wanted to control everypony in Equestria. Chrysalis had a lot of mind magic around my brother, Shining Armor, and the changelings captured in Cloudsdale used similar spells. As much as I hate what they did to Shining Armor and Cadance, I think they just don't know any other way."

"Do you believe there is another way?" I asked. Twilight proved useful, even if her views were at most half-right. The Hive was running low on love and our territories could not support more population growth. Queen Chrysalis decided to domesticate the ponies, and gain both a stable, renewable food source and territory at the same time.

"You must already know this, but the earliest mention of the changelings appears in The Book of Long Winter. A small number of black-shelled ponies approached the gates of the polar guard post. In exchange for blankets and a few hours inside the building, they helped the royal guards and three magicians working there escape from a dangerous creature. Nopony died, and one royal guard even said that his headaches, caused by an overabundance of magic at the pole, bothered him less around the changelings." Twilight explained, all the while writing what she said down.

"They're like leeches!" Pinkie Pie bounced, her hooves squeaking with each landing. I raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. "I visited the hospital, and there were all these leeches there that helped the doctors save lives! I even got to pet one! They don't taste good, though. I should taste a changeling to see if they taste better!"

"I doubt changelings taste better." I quickly said. Although, imagining Pinkie Pie trying to lick my Queen Chrysalis was funny.

"Yes…Well, what I'm trying to say is that changelings could be our friends one day. They clearly have something to teach us about mind magic, if they can help a pegasus suffering from Magical Tide Syndrome. Maybe, we will all live to see royalty marry a changeling for who they are, not for who they're pretending to be." Twilight nodded, checked off something on her scroll, and continued.

"So, you believe mind magics used by the changelings are a feature of their culture, not something they must do by nature?" this was proving fascinating. I never had the chance to discuss the Hive with any being alien to it. Besides, I reasoned, moving the conversation towards the location of my Queen so quickly would be suspicious.

"Um. Not exactly. I noticed something strange when I fought the changelings in Canterlot. Each one was connected to the others through a spell which looked a lot like Chrysalis' mind control."

"Maybe Chrysalis was forcing them to be mean!" Pinkie looked shocked.

"I'm sure that's not the case. My own studies suggest that changelings have free will." Food would never understand my kind, I decided. They just accused my beautiful Queen of being a tyrant, when she was chosen from among the females for her beauty, love for the Hive, and ability to handle the Hive's vast connections. Perhaps she was not the kindest of Queens, but she cared for the Hive's wellbeing, and would never force any of us to bow to her will!

"Actually, I think Chrysalis helps the changelings use their minds better through an inversion of the mind control spell. So, maybe mind magic IS natural among changelings. The choice not to use mind control on ponies remains, though. They could just ask to live with us and be our friends." Twilight scribbled something else unto the scroll. I never considered befriending ponies before.

They were afraid of creatures like me, and most of them were far too stupid to understand why the Hive mattered, let alone appreciate our art and music. The only way we could coexist peacefully would be if my Queen Chrysalis forced them to accept our Hive on their territory. History proved this time and time again. Still, it intrigued me that Twilight possessed such detailed knowledge of the one peaceful interaction between changeling-kind and ponies. She also had a unique perspective of mind magic. Magical inversion of mind control spells never even occurred to any changeling of the Hive, let alone as an explanation for the wonders achieved through mind expansion. I will have to test her theories, I decided, if only to prove her wrong.

"Indeed." I finally said. "Could we perhaps go to my next question?"

"Yes, the whereabouts of Queen Chrysalis and the other changelings. When Shining Armor and Cadance created the new spell, their love threw most of the invasion force west, out of Equestria, and into the ocean. If I had to guess, there's a lot of wet, unhappy changelings somewhere near the Golden Isle." Twilight drew what I suspected was a complex diagram of my Hive's trajectory.

"They shouldn't have crashed a wedding." Pinkie Pie said. She sat against a book shelf, reading a book. I never noticed her move away from me. The spine of the book read 'Cupcakes and the Ponies who Love Them'.

"Right. My brother's wedding was going to be perfect, if not for the invasion. He had every right to throw them out." Twilight said. I nodded. Mentally, I congratulated myself. Peace won't come any time soon. Ponies, like changelings, tend to think of their own.

"A few changelings, were flung north and east. Ten changelings were captured in Cloudsdale, three in Manehattan, and five near Canterlot itself. The royal guards also found a number of shell fragments as far as Everfree Forest and the mountains." Twilight continued.

"Do you think I could meet any of the captured changelings? And how far away is the Golden Isle?" I hated the thought of my Queen and the Hive trying to survive on a small island.

"I will ask Celestia for permission next time I write her a letter. I'm surprised you didn't request an audience with her, instead of visiting me." Twilight Sparkle said.

"I didn't want to disturb her so soon after the invasion." The truth, as usual, served very well. "Perhaps you can ask her later."

"Okay….The Golden Isle is about two hundred miles west, off the shore of Los Pegasus, well away from Equestria. I don't think anypony will be sailing there soon, but just in case, I told Celestia that the sailorponies should be warned."

"Wise." I muttered, imagining my Queen trying to find the mainland. It would take her several weeks at least, and I could not help her. Perhaps, I could go on the road, and rejoin the Hive? Then, I could help!

"Woorali? Are you alright? You froze…" Twilight poked me with a hoof.

"I was just thinking about the changelings." I forgot, as usual, just how easily an unexpanded mind could be distracted.

"You stood really, really still! You would be great at Statues!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Statues?" I asked, bewildered.

Pinkie Pie looked confused by my question for a moment, then opened up a dark blue book I could have sworn was hidden under an astronomy manual across the room, showing five gray ponies standing around in various poses while another, looking suspiciously like Eon Smith, looked directly at them. The next picture showed the gray ponies moving towards the brown colt when he was turned around.

"It's a game, silly!" she cheerfully exclaimed. "Ponies have been playing it ever since Handsome Troy invented it back in… a long time ago!"

"How did you do that?" I asked. Not even in my confused state would I have missed a bright pink pony bouncing across the room to fetch a book.

"Do what?" Pinkie looked at Twilight, then back at me.

"It's Pinkie being Pinkie, Woorali. And, don't worry. She won't make you play Statues if you don't want to. Now, we were talking about the Golden Isle. I just said I think Chrysalis will escape eventually." Twilight levitated the odd blue book back on a shelf, away from Pinkie Pie.

"You are right. What do you plan to do?" perhaps, if I could not help my queen actively, I could at least warn her.

"If she won't listen? We have to use the Elements of Harmony." She then went on to explain the way these weapons functioned. Nothing about them made any sense, but one thing was clear. If I did not take over Ponyville and neutralize these ponies, they would kill my entire Hive. I would have to give up on rejoining my kind, for now.

I excused myself, gathering up the study materials Twilight Sparkle loaned to me, and left to contemplate the best way to make the Hive safe. Sitting at the local park, thinking about the morning's events, my thoughts increasingly turned to Twilight's theories about mind magic and Eon Smith.

If I could expand my mind using a spell for controlling the ponies, instead of relying on the Hive, I would be able to do far more to help my queen. And, if it did not work, I could still create loyal zombies to take over Equestria, thus saving the Hive from the Elements of Harmony. What kind of evil creature would call a set of magical weapons that rip apart metal armor and turn creatures to stone "harmonious", anyway?

As for Eon Smith, after a bit of thought, I dismissed him as irrelevant. The few time travelers my kind encountered, while dangerous, were easy to destroy, and could not change their fate after a fight. Therefore, the earth pony would fall without trouble once I had an army of loyal ponies.

Looking over at three young fillies running around the park screaming something about their cutie marks, an idea for testing Twilight's theory came to me. I forced my magic up to the surface, careful not to draw attention to my spellwork, and began combining my own sense for the Hive with a simple mind scrambling trick I learned as a grub. Then, I forced the magic to turn, imagining its new shape as a connector between pony and changeling. The magic felt slippery, almost as if the energies within my horn turned to oil, but nevertheless, I aimed at the three ponies, and fired.


End file.
